Restraining device



2, 4 E, JOHNSON ,308, 6

HESTRAINING DEVICE Filed Dec. 15, 1941 2 Sheets-Shefl INVENTOR Fan 4 20 Joan/.50

A ORNEYS Jan. 12,1943. E. JOHNSOIN I 2,303,466

RESTRAINING DEVICE File d Dec. 15, 1941 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fon afia/z/m sa/v Patented Jan. 12, 1943 UNITED smrss PATENT orries- Meinecke & Company, Inc,.,,New corporation of New Jersey Application December 15, .1941, Serial No. 422,962.

1 Claim.

This. invention relates. to a new and improved restraining device to be used principally in hospitals.

As is well known, a great many medicines are administered in the form of narcotics or drugs. When the patient is under the effect of such narcotics or drugs he is frequently mentally irresponsible and unable to intelligently control his movements, and one of the big problems in hospitals is to find a way to prevent such patients from falling out of bed and injuring themselves.

It is an object of the present invention to construct a device which will make it impossible for a patient to fall out of bed, and yet at the same time give complete freedom of movement and allow the patient to either sit up or move from side to side of the bed or lie on either side.

My invention is also particularly adaptable to maternity cases as it allows the mother during 1abor pains and when under the influence of opiates, to move freely in the bed without danger of falling out, and then the patient with the device on can be taken to the delivery operating table where the restraining device can be attached to the delivery table.

I am aware that there are on the market and in use, devices for securely holding insane patients in bed. These devices, however, are so constructed either in the form of straps which hold the patient practically immovable in bed or in the form of a restraint sheet securely fastened to the sides and top and bottom of the bed and having openings for the patient to put his or her arms through.

Obviously said devices are wholly impracticable for general hospital work. In the first place they are extremely uncomfortable and allow no movement in bed by the patient and he cannot move from side to side or sit up when such devices are used. Furthermore the psychological effect of placing a permanent securing device, or in other words, a straight jacket on a person who is not insane but only temporarily abnormal as a result of medicines or narcotics, is very detrimental to the mental condition of such a patient.

My device consists essentially of a fabric of some sort which is secured around the body of a patient approximately the waist line forming What may be termed a body encircling member. On this body encircling member is attached another separate member which is about as long as the body of a patient is wide, and secured at each end so as to form a long loop. On this loop there is a sliding oblong shaped metal member to which is attached a belt, preferably of fabric, 55

of sufficient length to be secured at. each end to the sides of the bed frame. This construction permits the patient to either sit up or move from side to side or lie on either side without danger of falling from the bed.

i Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be more particularly pointed out in the claim appended hereto, the invention itself may be better understood by referring to the following description taken with the accompanying drawings, in which a particular embodiment of the invention has been set forth for purposes of illustration.

I In the drawings:

' Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a patient in bed wearing a restraining device.

Fig. 2 is a front edge view of the device showing the parts disengaged.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the sliding member, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of, the invention, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a patient in bed wearing the modified form of the device shown in Fig. 4.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral l0 shows a body encircling member consisting of a strip of fabric or other material to pass around the body of the patient and secured at H by an adjustable oblong shaped buckle 12. On the front of the device is secured another strip of fabric I3, which is preferably of less width than the member I0. The member I3 is stitched or otherwise secured at each end l4 thereof to the member l0. While I have described the device as being made of fabric, it will be understood that any other. material such as leather, etc., may be used.

' Freely sliding back and forth on the member l3 isa looped shape oblong metal member l5 shown in Fig. 3. This metal member I5 has passing through it another piece of fabric [6 forming a loop? l1 and a long strip of fabric 18 is attached preferably by sewing to the ends iii of the loop ll. The ends of the fabric l8 pass under the side rails of the bed I9, a fragmentary sectional portion of which is shown at each side of Fig. 2, and are buckled at 20.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the body encircling member ID has stitched or otherwise secured to it a piece of material forming a jacket or coat 2|. This jacket 2| is secured over the shoulders of the patient by straps 22 buckled at 23 to the front of the jacket, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

It is obvious from the drawings and description that when the body encircling member III is fastened to the body of a patient the traveling metal member l5 which is secured to the strap I8 by means of the sliding buckle l5 and loop I! allows the body to be moved freely from side to side and also allows the patient to sit up in bed or lie on either side, which the member [8, the ends of which are secured to the sides of the bed, makes it absolutely impossible for the patient to fall out of bed.

It will be understood in maternity cases that the member l8 may be made longer if necessary to go around the rails of the delivery bed. 7

Although a particular embodiment ofntherinvention has been shown for purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein as will readily appear to a person skilled in the art. The invention is to be limited only in accordance with the following claim.

What is claimed is:

A restraining device for permitting restricted movement of a person in bed, comprising a holding member of flexible material of sufficient length to pass over the body of the wearer and be secured to each side of a bed frame, a ring secured by a short strip of fabric to the underside of the holding member at approximately the center thereof to permit limited movement on each side of the center, a. body member consisting of a strip of flexible material passing around the body of the wearer and means for adjusting the length thereof, a second strip of flexible material of less length than the body member passing through the ring and secured at each end there- 7 of to the body member at points which are separated by a distance approximately the same as the width of the body of the wearer to form a long loop suited to permit the patient to sit up, move across the bed or lie on either side.

EDWARD JOHNSON. 

